Penrith

Penrith, a market-town of Cumberland, in a picturesque and fertile valley, on the outskirts of the Lake District (q.v.), 18 miles SSE. of Carlisle. It has a fine old ruined castle, where Richard III. (then Duke of Gloucester) is said to have resided, and a grammar-school (1395; refounded 1564). In the churchyard are two ancient monuments, the 'Giant's Grave' and the 'Giant's Thumb,' often visited by Sir Walter Scott; and north-east of the town is the wooded Beacon (937 feet). There are sawmills, tanneries, and breweries. See works by J. Walker (1856) and G. Watson (1893). Pop. (1851) 6668; (1881) 9268; (1891) 8981.